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Article
Publication date: 22 March 2021

Maria del Mar Garcia-De los Salmones, Angel Herrero and Patricia Martinez

This paper aims to analysis the factors that explain the effectiveness of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on Facebook by a hospitality company. Taking the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analysis the factors that explain the effectiveness of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on Facebook by a hospitality company. Taking the affect transfer hypothesis (ATH) model as a basis, the influence of beliefs about the company (attributions and corporate image) is studied and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory) as direct antecedents of the improvement of the attitude towards the company and attitude towards the post, which influence the intention to share the information.

Design/methodology/approach

This study developed a quantitative study based on a structured questionnaire targeted at regular Facebook users. Specifically, this study used a stimulus-based method, designing a fictitious post by a leading Spanish hotel chain about an environmental initiative. The post, which was shown to the participants before they answered the questionnaire, provided information about the development of an environmental programme by the hospitality company in the region where the study was carried out. Specifically, this study measured two communication outcomes (the improvement in attitude towards the hospitality company and the user’s intention to share the information) and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory), to the message (information’s usefulness) and to the company (image and attributions) as explanatory variables. This study obtained a final sample of 239 valid surveys respecting the socio-demographic profile of the target population. The hypotheses were tested using a covariance-based structural equations model approach (software EQS 6.1).

Findings

This study observed that the ATH model is valid to measure the effectiveness of CSR communication on Facebook. Thus, the intention to share a post about an environmental initiative of the hotel is explained by both the attitude towards the company and the attitude towards the information. Factors related to the company and the environmental consciousness of the individuals exert an indirect influence. This study also found that the attitude towards the post has a double influence in the model, in the sense that it enhances the attitude towards the company and, at the same time, has a direct influence on the intention to share the information.

Research limitations/implications

This study must first mention the use of a non-probabilistic sampling procedure, which could condition the representativeness of the sample obtained. Another limitation of our research is the use of cross-sectional data instead of longitudinal data. This study can also consider as a limitation the specific business and geographical context in which it was developed. In addition, it will be interesting to analyze other types of CSR initiatives, focused on other stakeholders, as well as to consider how the creativity of the post (text, image and/or video) could influence the effectiveness of the communication.

Practical implications

CSR information can reveal a mix of business and social attributions. The first of these, a source of scepticism and distrust, will always appear, but these extrinsic attributions do not have a negative effect in all cases. To reach positive communication outcomes, in terms of an improvement in the attitude towards the hotel and the intention to share the post and viralize the information, it is important to assure that people perceive that the hotel has a real interest in benefiting society with its initiative. To achieve this, it is very important to have a good corporate image. Furthermore, CSR-related posts may catch the attention of and generate interest in environmentally conscious people, so we suggest including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on social network sites (SNS) on a regular basis.

Social implications

Hospitality companies have to make people aware of CSR initiatives. This study suggests including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on SNS on a regular basis. These channels let companies create attractive and compelling stories, and if CSR initiatives are framed on them, companies will be able to generate emotional connection with consumers. Furthermore, social platforms are relational channels, so it is advisable to use a friendly tone to connect with the individuals. Their greater or lesser participation and the possible associated comments will give clues to companies about the feelings and perceptions of people regarding CSR, which has great value.

Originality/value

Social networks can be interesting vehicles to convey CSR information, although users’ reactions towards a CSR post on these platforms have not yet been explored. This study tries to cover this gap and to contribute to the hospitality literature by studying the factors that would explain two communication outcomes of a CSR post on Facebook, one internal outcome (the improvement of the attitude towards the brand) and the other external (the intention to share the information). Furthermore, the study is a pioneer in the application of the ATH model to measure the marketing effectiveness of social media in the hotel industry.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Patricia Ahmed and Rebecca Jean Emigh

Two perspectives provide alternative insights into household composition in contemporary Eastern Europe. The first stresses that individuals have relatively fixed preferences…

Abstract

Two perspectives provide alternative insights into household composition in contemporary Eastern Europe. The first stresses that individuals have relatively fixed preferences about living arrangements and diverge from them only when they cannot attain their ideal. The second major approach, the adaptive strategies perspective, predicts that individuals have few preferences. Instead, they use household composition to cope with economic hardship, deploy labor, or care for children or the elderly. This article evaluates these approaches in five post‐socialist East‐European countries, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Russia, using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The results suggest that household extension is common in these countries and provide the most evidence for the adaptive strategies perspective. In particular, the results show that variables operationalizing the adaptive strategies perspective, including measures of single motherhood, retirement status, agricultural cultivation, and poverty, increase the odds of household extension.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1990

Patricia M. Cleary

Making decisions in a changing economy, or for that matter, a changing market environment, can be confusing and nerve‐wracking. One should always be ready to make adjustments in…

Abstract

Making decisions in a changing economy, or for that matter, a changing market environment, can be confusing and nerve‐wracking. One should always be ready to make adjustments in their investment portfolio to take advantage of these changes and minimize losses. Liquidity, therefore, is very important.

Details

The Bottom Line, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0888-045X

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2012

Julián Salas and Patricia Lucas

PREVI, Spanish initials for “experimental housing project”, was conceived in Lima in 1967. Among other initiatives, it launched an international architectural competition that led…

Abstract

PREVI, Spanish initials for “experimental housing project”, was conceived in Lima in 1967. Among other initiatives, it launched an international architectural competition that led to the construction of a 500-unit compound based on proposals put forward by teams such as Atelier 5, Aldo van Eyck, and Íñiguez de Ozoño and Vázquez de Castro. The forty years that have lapsed in the interim and the ongoing transformation of the homes by their dwellers afford an opportunity to reflect on the suitability of the construction technologies proposed in the competition.

Ongoing growth and the rationalisation of construction methods were two of the basic premises underlying the competition. The remodelling that has taken place in the interim stands as proof of the success of the first premise, but the use of traditional techniques to build the additions calls some of the most sophisticated proposals for industrialisation into question.

At the time, the tendency was to rely on large-scale industrialisation, as can be seen in the German and Polish architects' proposals. Nonetheless, many of the PREVI proposals opted for rationalising construction and precasting short series of small elements, rather than huge three-dimensional members. In the situation presently prevailing in Latin America, the viability of some of the technological proposals deployed in the PREVI might be profitably revisited.

Details

Open House International, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1995

During a visit to a biotech company, Patricia Cloherty noticed a can opener attached to a wall, enabling the user to open a container without any reflex action. In the “clean…

Abstract

During a visit to a biotech company, Patricia Cloherty noticed a can opener attached to a wall, enabling the user to open a container without any reflex action. In the “clean room” atmosphere of these facilities, where handling volatile materials is commonplace, it made sense. But her initial reaction was decidedly low‐tech. “I thought, 'What a great product for people with arthritis,” she recalls. Over time, the can opener's inventor did, indeed, market it to disabled people who couldn't get a grip on a tool whose maneuverability is taken for granted.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 16 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1990

Edward Valauskas

RENOVATING APPLE: THE MACINTOSH IIFX AS EVIDENCE. Last month Apple released a new high‐end Macintosh, dubbed the IIfx, aimed squarely at the technical workstation market…

Abstract

RENOVATING APPLE: THE MACINTOSH IIFX AS EVIDENCE. Last month Apple released a new high‐end Macintosh, dubbed the IIfx, aimed squarely at the technical workstation market. Utilizing a 68030 processor speeding along at 40 MHz, the IIfx is competitive with products such as Sun Microsystems' Sparcstation. Are there clues to Apple's future plans with the Macintosh product line imbedded in the novelty of the IIfx, or is it an evolutionary extension of IIci, IIcx, and IIx into the realm of veritable workstations? More important, does the IIfx represent a new direction for Apple, in light of its turbulent history over the past six months? Let's examine some of these events and place the IIfx in context.

Details

Library Workstation Report, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1041-7923

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

Patricia Martyn, Breda Sweeney and Emer Curtis

Tremendous change has taken place in organisational structures, networks and strategy over the past 25 years. Yet, a strategic management framework developed 25 years ago has…

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Abstract

Purpose

Tremendous change has taken place in organisational structures, networks and strategy over the past 25 years. Yet, a strategic management framework developed 25 years ago has increased in popularity among researchers in the past decade. This paper aims to review how Simons’ Levers of Control (LOC) framework has been used in empirical research studies over the past 25 years.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings are based on electronic database searches of papers adopting Simons’ framework published in accounting and management journals.

Findings

A total of 45 empirical studies adopting the LOC framework are presented chronologically by research method. The review highlights the far greater use of the framework in qualitative compared to quantitative studies. Qualitative studies have extended the application of the framework to broader organisational issues such as sustainability, environmental accounting and inter-organisational controls. The quantitative studies have mainly sought to add to our understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of the use of interactive control systems.

Originality/value

This paper furthers our understanding of Simons’ framework by synthesising and analysing the literature over 25 years. It provides insight into the varying interpretations of the concepts underlying the framework in empirical studies including differences in operationalisation of the concepts in quantitative studies. In addition, it highlights the application of the framework beyond the original domain in which it was developed. Fruitful areas for future research are pointed to in the paper.

Details

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1832-5912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1992

David C. Wyld, Sam D. Cappel and Daniel E. Hallock

In their book Megatrends 2000, John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene (1990) stated that one of the ten “megatrends for the 1990's would be the rise of “The Age of Biology.” One of…

Abstract

In their book Megatrends 2000, John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene (1990) stated that one of the ten “megatrends for the 1990's would be the rise of “The Age of Biology.” One of the central forces behind this societal shift which is occurring right now, they say, is research into understanding human genetics and the rise of biotechnology. The scientific knowledge regarding human genetics and the technology to examine an individual's genetic makeup have grown at a rapid pace, especially in the last decade as a result of the Human Genome Project. This venture has been labelled alternatively as “mediocre science” (Roberts, 1990b: p. 804) and as “biology's Holy Grail,” (Nelkin and Tancredi, 1989: p. 14). It is indisputably a monumental scientific undertaking, likened to the drive to put a man on the moon in the sixties (“The Geography of Genes,” 1989). This knowledge and the resultant trends will likely prove to be important factors not only in our future economy, but also in the nature of how we understand ourselves.

Details

Equal Opportunities International, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0261-0159

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2006

Yee Kwan Tang

This study aims at providing exploratory insights into the initiative and capabilities of Chinese SMEs to develop and utilize diverse networks to support internationalization…

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Abstract

This study aims at providing exploratory insights into the initiative and capabilities of Chinese SMEs to develop and utilize diverse networks to support internationalization. Such network development and utilization efforts are fundamental to the analysis and explanation of Chinese firms’ internationalization patterns and outcomes. Extending from the existing network studies in the Chinese context that generally put emphasis on strong‐tie and ethnic‐oriented networks, this paper investigates and explains explicitly the use and effects of both strong‐ and weak‐tie networks in the international development of Chinese SMEs. Indepth case studies on four rapidly internationalized Chinese SMEs are conducted. The case findings demonstrate that weak‐tie networks are essential to the firms’ business development in foreign markets; and were proactively developed and utilized in the course of the firms’ development. The cases also provide alternative perspectives to the beliefs and values underpinning strong‐tie networks presumed in existing literature. The findings draw attention to the changing business values and approaches of the Chinese firms aiming at developing internationally. Managerial implications concerning the significant influence of effective networking on internationalization are pinpointed.

Details

Journal of Asia Business Studies, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1558-7894

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1992

Stephen J. Grove, Mary C. LaForge, Patricia A. Knowles and Louis H. Stone

States that information regarding the trading environment andcustomers is essential if a firm′s marketing is to be effective.Describes the two sources: primary, e.g. salespeople…

Abstract

States that information regarding the trading environment and customers is essential if a firm′s marketing is to be effective. Describes the two sources: primary, e.g. salespeople and distributors; and secondary such as statistical research. Examines the development of the cheaper primary source through the use of sales force feedback instruments, incorporating call reports. Concludes that the effective use of the sales feedback mechanism can assist managerial strategic decisions.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

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